CASTLE ROCK — Lauren Boebert was not the center of attention for a change as the laundry list of Republicans running to represent Colorado’s 4th Congressional District gathered Monday night for their second major primary debate.
The faceoff happened this time in Douglas County, where more than half of the 4th District’s population lives, at an event sponsored by the county’s Republican Party.
Only Chris Phelen, a former congressional staffer who is a major underdog in the contest, attacked Boebert during the debate, highlighting her limited policy successes and questioning the impact of her Pueblo Jobs Act, which she frequently touts. The bill deals with the cleanup at the Pueblo Chemical Depot.
“Are you sick and tired of people that are coming to Congress just to get more social media hits, likes — whatever they’re doing?” Phelen said. “I am — and that’s what I think that someone up on this stage is doing.”
Boebert fired back that she was unable to pass legislation during her first term because Democrats were in charge (that’s part of the story, the other part is her bills were highly partisan) and she defended her social media megaphone.
“I have used that bully pulpit to get a lot of things done,” she said.
Outside of Phelen’s attacks, however, the other candidates on stage almost entirely ignored Boebert and stuck to their talking points in a big departure from how the first Republican primary debate in the race went last month.
In fact, it was Boebert who went on the offensive Monday night against her challengers — but not until her closing remarks. She didn’t call out any of her opponents by name, but rather took them to task as a group.
“When you say that you are a ‘no-nonsense conservative’ and have a failing conservative voting record, that is a problem,” she said. “The liberty scores on this stage are embarrassing to Republicans and Colorado.”
Boebert has a 100% “liberty score” — and an “A” rating — from the Conservative Review, which evaluates votes cast by members of Congress. The Colorado Liberty Republicans put out their liberty scorecard for state legislators based on their votes. In 2022, Sen. Jerry Sonnenberg and Reps. Mike Lynch and Richard Holtorf, three of Boebert’s opponents, received a “D” and two “F” grades respectively.
You should know that the top legislative score that year went to then-Rep. Patrick Neville, an uncompromising Republican, who received a 97.1% score. Then state-Rep. Dave Williams, who is now chair of the Colorado GOP, received a 95.3% score.
Boebert also called some of her opponents’ support for more Ukraine aid and refusal to back a national abortion ban “heartbreaking.” She also blasted those who said the 2020 election wasn’t stolen from Donald Trump “and may not have stood to object to the Electoral College results as I did.”
“If we don’t have someone with my principles in office, then we may not have an America left to stand for our allies like Israel,” she said in closing.
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MORE: We caught up with two undecided Republican voters from Douglas County after the debate to see how they were leaning in the 4th District primary. The county will likely play a pivotal role in deciding in the June 25 primary who the party’s nominee will be.
Kent Cheese, who is active in the county party, said he had ruled out some candidates — he declined to say who —and placed Boebert among his favorites. Also on the not-so-short list for him were Sonnenberg, Holtorf, former state Sen. Ted Harvey, conservative talk radio host Deborah Flora and businessman Peter Yu.
Cheese said he’s not concerned about how Boebert recently moved into the district.
“She’s been there in Congress,” he said. “She’s fighting for Republican beliefs. And she speaks well to her constituents.”
Ann Auhll, another voter at the debate, said she, too, was undecided on which 4th District candidate she would vote for in June, but that she had ruled out Boebert.
She said she wants a congressperson who understands the importance of agriculture and “the rural aspects of life.”
“Boebert doesn’t understand that,” said Auhll, who has strong ties to rural Colorado. She pointed to Boebert’s refusal to back more military aid for Ukraine and what that could mean for fertilizer.
Auhll said she was impressed with the debate performances of Flora and Harvey.
Flora won the unscientific straw poll taken after the debate, securing 41% of the 194 votes cast. Harvey came in second, with 28% of the votes cast, while Boebert came in third with 12% of the votes cast. Holtorf was in a distant fourth, securing 6% of the vote.
As we’ve cautioned before, do not read much into the straw poll results. All they can reveal is the mood in one room at a specific time. The debate audience was packed with family, friends and staffers of the candidates. It was difficult to find voters in attendance who weren’t affiliated with the participants or who hadn’t made up their minds.
ADDENDUM: The candidates were asked at the debate whether Colorado GOP officers should step down if they are running in a competitive primary. The “yes” or “no” question was clearly a nod to Williams, the state party chair who is also running this year to represent Colorado’s 5th Congressional District.
Every candidate but Harvey said “yes” or “absolutely.”
The candidates were also asked whether unaffiliated voters should be blocked from participating in the GOP’s primaries. Holtorf, Harvey, Boebert, Flora and Sonnenberg said “yes.” Lynch said “no.”
WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEK
DO THE MATH
60%
The share of registered Colorado voters who said they had an unfavorable view of Republican U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, according to a recent poll conducted by a Democratic firm.
Just 17% of those polled said they had a favorable view of Boebert, while 13% said they couldn’t give her a rating and 10% said they had never heard of her.
While the numbers aren’t great for Boebert, keep in mind she doesn’t need the backing of a majority of Colorado’s electorate to win in Colorado’s 4th Congressional District. She likely needs only the support of a plurality of voters in the 4th District GOP primary to secure another term in Washington.
The poll was conducted by Global Strategy Group, a Democratic firm that accurately predicted the 2022 election results in Colorado, from Jan. 22-28 among 801 registered Colorado voters. It had a 3.5 percentage point margin of error.
The poll was conducted in partnership with ProgressNow, a liberal political nonprofit that doesn’t reveal its donors and thus is what The Colorado Sun refers to as a dark-money group.
Some other interesting results from the poll:
MARK YOUR CALENDAR: Meet The Colorado Sun politics team Feb. 29 at 6 p.m. during a gathering at the Denver Press Club, 1330 Glenarm Place. There will be time to network, discuss Colorado politics and get a preview of what will be in The Unaffiliated in the year ahead.
The event is free to attend, but please RSVP so we can get a headcount. A cash bar will be available.
The gathering is sponsored by Aponte and Busam Public Affairs Consultants.
THE BIG STORY
JBC mulls $24-million infusion for Colorado schools as migrant enrollment soars
Colorado budget writers may set aside as much as $24 million to help school districts cover the cost of teaching thousands of students who have recently arrived from South and Central America.
The forthcoming budget amendment is the latest example of how the influx of migrants from the U.S. southern border is straining social services across the state. The city of Denver expects to spend $180 million this year to provide shelter and other assistance to the new arrivals. Most have come from Venezuela, where an economic crisis has left the country in turmoil and extreme poverty.
Denver Mayor Mike Johnston last week announced that other city services, including recreation center hours and landscaping in parks, would be cut back in response to rising costs.
But, so far, state lawmakers don’t expect to make similar budget trade-offs. State Rep. Emily Sirota, D-Denver, who serves on the Joint Budget Committee, told The Colorado Sun she’s working on a bill that would use money the General Assembly had originally planned to spend on schools anyway.
During mid-year budget adjustments, lawmakers cut $24 million in State Education Fund spending on K-12 after local property tax revenues came in higher than expected. Now, Sirota says, budget writers are considering redirecting that money to schools that have seen their enrollment swell in recent months.
Since July 1, around 3,200 immigrant students have enrolled in Denver Public Schools, Superintendent Alex Marrero wrote in a letter to the district this month. More than 1,300 of them arrived after the annual Oct. 1 enrollment count that determines how much funding school districts receive from the state.
A spokesman for the Colorado Department of Education told The Sun the state doesn’t have data on how many new students have enrolled across the state since the October count, because districts aren’t required to report it.
But Sirota said early discussions with school districts suggest as many as 6,000 immigrant children have enrolled already — and that number could grow by thousands more by the time a funding bill can be drafted and moved through the legislature.
STORY: Denver cuts services in response to the migrant crisis that’s costing the city $180 million
MORE: The Colorado House of Representatives last week approved $2 million for Colorado’s Area Agencies on Aging after The Sun reported a number of senior services, including Meals on Wheels nutritional programs, were at risk of collapse as federal stimulus funding wanes.
The measure is moving through the state Senate this week as part of an $86 million package of midyear budget additions.
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THE POLITICAL TICKER
JASON CROW: Democratic U.S. Rep. Jason Crow of Centennial visited Kyiv over the weekend with a bipartisan delegation of U.S. House members. The visit included a meeting with Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and came as the U.S. Senate spent the weekend debating additional aid for the country in its war with Russia. “America must stand with Ukraine,” Crow said in a written statement. “A stable and prosperous Europe is good for democracy, our economy, and national security.”
CANNABIS: Colorado medical and recreational marijuana sales totaled $1.53 billion in 2023, their lowest level since 2017, when $1.5 billion in cannabis was sold in the state. Marijuana sales reached a high in 2021, when they hit $2.3 billion. That dropped to $1.77 billion in 2022.
DENVER: Denver Mayor Mike Johnston and his son attended the Super Bowl on Sunday as guests of 49ers quarterbacks coach Brian Griese, a longtime friend and former Denver Bronco. “No city resources were used on the trip,” said Jordan Fuja, the mayor’s spokeswoman. Fuja said the mayor’s security detail didn’t accompany him on the trip, though members of the detail did walk Johnston through the airport.
STORY: Presidential primary ballots will start being mailed to Colorado voters today. Here’s what to know.
STORY: One employee works as cook, tutor and driver as staff shortages strain Colorado schools
CBS4: Colorado Concern, Advance Colorado team up to pursue property tax ballot measure
THE DENVER POST: Some Colorado communities scramble to help migrants, others “do not want to be Denver” as crisis spreads
CHALKBEAT COLORADO: Lawmakers eye fix so Colorado colleges can launch adult education diploma program
9NEWS: Colorado’s newest town officially has its first mayor and town council
THE VAIL DAILY: Bill would impose commercial property tax rate on third or subsequent Colorado properties offered as short-term rentals
CHART OF THE WEEK
Democrat Adam Frisch and Republican U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert raised the most money in the last six months of 2023 through ActBlue and WinRed among Colorado candidates using the online platforms.
The money Frisch, a former Aspen city councilman, raised using ActBlue accounted for 64% of the $6.4 million he raised in the second half of last year, while Boebert’s WinRed fundraising represented 42% of the $1.4 million she raised during that span.
Frisch and Boebert were running against each other in Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District until Boebert announced in late December that she was moving into the 4th Congressional District and running for reelection there instead. Boebert now lives in Windsor.
Frisch was the No. 2 fundraiser in the nation among U.S. House candidates, while Boebert was 36th, according to Federal Election Commission fundraising data through the end of 2023 for the 2024 election.
Why it matters: Donations made through ActBlue, used by Democrats, and WinRed, used by Republicans, are an indication of a candidate’s national following because they offer a quick, easy way for people to contribute — especially in small amounts.
ActBlue is a nonprofit founded in 2004, while WinRed is a for-profit business founded in 2019. The platforms take a small cut of a candidates’ donations or charge a per-donation fee.
More than 40 Colorado candidates and committees raised $7.1 million via ActBlue from July through December 2023, compared with 15 candidates and committees raising $1.1 million via WinRed during the same period, with Boebert’s campaign accounting for more than half of that haul.
U.S. Rep. Yadira Caraveo, D-Thornton, raised the third most in the second half of last year among Colorado candidates using the fundraising platforms, hauling in nearly $532,000 via ActBlue.
Deborah Flora, another GOP candidate running in the 4th District, raised the second most on WinRed in the last six months of 2023 among Colorado Republicans candidates using the platform at $148,000.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Corrections & Clarifications
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